1.29.2016

TGIF Friends! It's been awhile since I did a Five on Friday so I thought I would join in today.

1. This Video

First of all I love the song Africa by Toto. My best friend and I from college would get drunk and blast it in our dorm room sophmore year ;) It was one of our go to karaoke songs and we played it at both of our weddings! Secondly I just want to be couple friends with Kristen and Dax, I mean my boys are close to their girls ages so we could totally do a drinking playdate ;)

I picked up this BB cream this week after reading a ton of good reviews about it. It came up as one of those drug store products that professional makeup artists recommend so I had to give it a try. I was looking for something to even my skin tone for everyday wear when I feel like foundation is too much. I also needed something light and creamy since my skin is so dry. I've only been using this for a 5 days but so far I love it! Goes on really easily, evens my skin tone out and does not dry my face or look flaky. It's a win so far but I will keep you posted longer I use it.

Since it's my birthday next month I'm thinking of treating myself to a new watch. I've had my eye on the few I posted above but I can't decide. I love the black faces but I'm afraid I will be over them in the spring. Does anyone have a watch they absolutely love that they would recommend?!

Miller really wanted to make cookies the other day but we were all out of butter so I went searching on Pinterest for a recipe that used oil instead and was maybe a little healthier. I stumbled upon this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen and it was perfect. The recipe uses brown sugar and molasses to sweeten it, in addition to the olive oil instead of butter and whole wheat flour. Olive oil tends to be a no-no in baking because it has such a strong flavor but using only two tablespoons you couldn't taste it at all. Miller loved them and so did I, Kyle thought they tasted weird and not like a real cookie but I thought they were great for a "healthy cookie"

1.28.2016

Welcome back to another Thoughts for Thursday! We thank each and everyone of you for linking up with us each week. If you're new here, it's easy to join! Just write about what is on your mind and link up below.

I've got all things Valentine's Day on the brain! Miller has become obsessed with holidays lately and is always so excited when one is near. I was never a huge holiday person but since having kids I love dressing them in holiday themed clothes. It's become a bit of an obsession ;) I've rounded up some of my favorite Valentine's day outfits for the kids. Not going to lie the selection for little boys is limited but I think I found some cute stuff that works. The little girls stuff is adorable though!

1.25.2016

Happy Monday Friends! How was everyone's weekend? If you follow me on instagram or snapchat (eastcoastnat) you know we were hit with the big snowstorm of 2016. We had a record 29.2 inches in one storm which is crazy!

The Governor of Maryland issued a state of emergency on Friday at noon and wanted everyone off the roads by rush hour. I thought that was a little excessive but once the snow started at 1pm on Friday I could see why. We spent the whole weekend snowed in but it was nice to have an excuse to stay home with no where to go. Miller loved everything about the snow and asked to play in it all day. Poor Matthew was sick all weekend so he hasn't had a chance to play in the snow yet. Hoping we can get him out for a little bit today.

I was a little nervous about being stuck inside with two toddlers but it actually wasn't that bad and playing in the snow exhausted Miller so he took great naps and slept well at night. A win win for us.

First snow is our new house

So excited to go play in the snow!

We took him out Saturday during the blizzard so we could start shoveling and he loved every minute of it. We had to drag him in despite it being freezing.

Poor little Matthew had to stay inside and play all weekend. It was actually a good weekend for him to be sick since we didn't have any plans anyway.

I don't think we'll be using our front door until April :( We had no where else to put the snow from the driveway so we had to block the front walkway.

As much as I hate snow and being cold I was got out there to shovel since I figured I would be burning lots of calories and ease the guilt for all the food and alcohol I consumed ;)

On Sunday the conditions were much more bearable so we were able to finish shoveling and our little helper was out there in full force.

In case you missed this video, I can't help but share because his personality and the things he says are so hysterical these days. We have no idea where he get half this stuff!

1.23.2016

Happy Saturday Friends! If you're on the east coast and snowed in like myself I hope you're staying warm and toasty. We have about 14 inches of snow right now and we're predicted to get more than 2ft! The kids are loving it but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ready to break out of here by tomorrow night.

I have a few standard "momiforms" that I rotate through every week. I know a lot of you can relate to this and I pick these outfits based on my days schedule ;) If I'm not in my active wear which I included at the bottom then you can usually find me in a tunic sweater and leggings or jeans and a button down. As much as I would love to get dressed up everyday these outfits are just more practical for my everyday life

1.21.2016

Happy Thursday Friends! We got a little snow last night and all the white has me dreaming of white kitchens. I mentioned on Monday we are getting the ball rolling for a kitchen renovation in our new house in 2016. As you know if you followed along with my last kitchen renovation that white kitchens are my thing! There is just something so fresh and clean feeling about a white kitchen.

I've been gathering some inspiration on Pinterest and Houzz. I'm thinking it will be similar to our old kitchen but there are a lot of new elements I really want to incorporate this time that I didn't last time.

1.19.2016

Thank you for all your positive feedback on yesterday's post on our kitchen! I can't wait to share house progress with you all as we move forward with it.
Now moving on to some more fun stuff. Do you like to plan ahead? Are you ready for the Valentine's Day holiday? As I've mentioned many times before my birthday is very close to Valentine's day so we usually combine the two but while I was browsing my favorite sites this weekend I just had to throw together some gift ideas for the holiday. Kyle can always use a little reminder an maybe your husband or boyfriend could too so feel free to forward this to him ;)

1.18.2016

Happy MLK Day Friends! I am hoping to show you a room a week in our house and talk about some update dates/renovations we plan to make along with showing you progress pictures. I figured I would start with the center of our home and what I hope will be my favorite room in the house one day: the kitchen.

When we first decided to make a move to a bigger house and sell our current home, leaving behind my dream kitchen, we knew that we wanted something with an old kitchen again. While the actual renovation process can be long and grueling we knew that wanted to be able to make the kitchen ours again with all the little details and designs that we loved in our old house.

So here is our kitchen in it's current state. These are real life actual photos, no staging or fancy-ing them up for you all.

This is the view from standing in our family room looking into the kitchen:

Here is a picture of the wall with our jackets hanging. My parents just gave us the happy home sign with hooks on it for Christmas since we don't have room in our laundry room (which is behind that door on the left) to hang coats when we come in from the garage. At first I wasn't sure I would love it and now I'm so happy we have it! Coats were piling up on our banister and chairs before so it's nice to have a spot for them.

The kitchen has a ton of space and I love the large island and double ovens. I don't like having the cook top on the island though because I can't have the boys sit up there when I cook for fear of one of them burning their hands. When we renovate we will be moving that, just not sure where yet. I didn't think I needed two ovens but I have become so used to it and it makes cooking a big meal a breeze so I may opt for double ovens when we renovate.

Here is the side with our dishwasher, microwave, and refrigerator. The window below looks out to backyard and I have visions of myself watching the boys play out there while I cook dinner when they're older. I would love to widen those windows if possible allow in more light. We do plan on taking the bulk head down when we renovate so I know that will help bring more light in too.

Here is the opposite side of the kitchen. It looks like tons of cabinet space but they're actually really shallow cabinets so we're finding we can't fit as much as we can over here. I use this side for our pantry, baking supplies, and arts and crafts stuff. That little desk you see is usually covered in mail and junk but I've been trying to keep it organized lately. (Ignore the Miller lite and dog bowls ;)

Right now this is my little coffee bar area but I think when we renovate this will be my wine bar area, unless we add one to the dining room. Haven't decided on that yet!

So there you have it, that's our kitchen in our current state. We are hoping to meet with contractors/builders in the next few weeks to get the ball rolling on the renovation and I promise to keep you up to date this time while we renovate! I'm so excited to see what we can do with this large space to make it our own.

1.14.2016

Welcome to the first Thoughts for Thursday! Thank you to everyone who links up with us every week. For those of you just stopping by you are welcome to blog about whatever is on your mind this Thursday and link up with us. I apologize for being MIA this week! I'm pretty sure I'm already failing all my new year resolutions but I'm hoping to get my act together this weekend.

- Life with a 2.5 year old is so fun and so challenging. I love this age and I love how much his personality has come through the last few months but man do 2 year olds love to test the boundaries! He requested shredded cheese for a snack and then proceeded to dump it all over himself. He then called me over and said "Oh no mom it fell" Does this kid think I was born yesterday? I watched him giggle and dump it all over himself. It's a good thing he's cute...

We got some new bedroom furniture yesterday! I have a whole home tour post for next week so I can finally show you our new house and then I will do a master bedroom update because it's currently getting a makeover! Our master has always been the most neglected room in the house so I can't wait for it to finally be put together.

Just a little sneak peek..,

Matthew is turning from a baby into a full blown toddler. I'm pretty sure he learned the trick below from his brother...

But then I sneak into his room before I go to bed and it takes all my self control not to scoop my baby up and snuggle him...

I just got the Loft Swing Sweater this week. It reminds me a lot of the J.Crew one but thinner more swingy material. I got it in the ash brown but I'm loving the cobalt too. It runs pretty big so I went with a XS

1.09.2016

Happy Saturday Everyone! After an uncharacteristically warm December here in Maryland January is giving us our first dose of winter. With temperatures in the 20s and 30s this week it's had me thinking about what my essential must haves are for the cold winters here.

1. Good hand cream and lip balm- I don't know about you all but I get the worse dry hands and lips in the winter months. I have tried so many different products over the years and the L'Occitane Shea butter cream and the Badger lip balm are hands down the best. I know some people are scared off by the price of L'Occitane but trust me it's the best. It goes on so well, isn't greasy and smells great.

2. Long down coat- I have this Land's End down coat and it's the best in the bitter cold weather. Waterproof, warm, long enough to cover your thighs but not too bulky that you can't wear it around all day running errands.

3. Knit Hat- Ear muffs just will not cut it when it's bitter cold so a hat is essential. I found this one at Kohl's and for only $15 it really can't be beat. It's cute and warm!

4. Tech gloves- Did you know they make iphone friendly gloves?! North Face makes the warmest gloves and now you can buy them with a tech friendly pointer finger so you don't have to take your gloves off to check your phone.

5. Sunglasses- I find the sun and glare is even worse in the winter so I never leave the house without a good pair of sunglasses. My Rayban wayfarers are my favorite.

6. Chunky knit scarf- My favorite Old Navy scarf is sold out but this one from Nordstrom is just as good and looks like it will keep you warm and toasty.

7. Good Winter Boots- These Sperry Saltwater Duck Boots are my new favorite winter boots! They will keep your feet warm on the cold, wet, dreary days but also look adorable with jeans and slouchy socks. Plus they are so comfortable. These Sorel Joan of Artic boots have been on my wishlist forever. The faux fur detail is so much fun and since they're tall they are perfect for snow days.

9. Cozy socks- Leave it to Target to have the best double lined winter socks. Not only are these warm and perfect with boots on a cold winter day but the fair isle print is adorable.

10. Cute Parka- As I've mentioned many times before J.Crew winter coats are my favorite winter coats. They do a great job of designing a warm winter coat that is still cute and flattering when you're all layered up for winter.

11. Turtleneck Sweater- A warm sweater is must to layer under your coat when it's really cold. This H&M one is so cute and only $19.99!

1.07.2016

Happy Thursday Friends! How is your first full week of 2016 going? So sorry that we already dropped the ball today!! I promise we will get our acts together soon, and thank you to everyone that links up with us!

Remember you can post about whatever you want and just link up at the bottom!

Last week on Instagram I posted one of my favorite recipes: S'mores Cookies! A few of you asked about the recipe so I am sharing here today. Warning: these cookies are dangerously delicious and will ruin all new years resolutions and diets ;) Just letting you know.

-Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out graham crackers next to each other (they should be touching) covering the pan. I ended up having about 20 graham crackers on each of the baking sheets I used.

3. Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows. They recommend to chill overnight or for 1 hour. I just went ahead and made them without chilling and they were fine.

4. Place a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of dough on each graham cracker. Press dough down slightly with fingers.

5. Bake for 5 minutes then remove and add Hershey's chocolate bar pieces to the top of each cookie. I did about one piece per cookie.

6. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. (I only need the 5 additional minutes) They will be done when the edges are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

There you have it! These are perfect to take to a party. I've never seen anyone turn one down ;)

I used to be in a book club with my Baltimore girl friends but over the years people have moved and the group has dwindled to just four of us and we can't get our acts together to read a book so we decided to just be a Do Nothing Club... basically we'll get together for no reason other than to drink, eat, gossip, and hang out once a month or every other month. After Christmas we met up at Blue Agave in Baltimore for our girls night and had a blast. It had been years since I had been there and for anyone local I think their menu has improved so much! The food was so good as were the drinks.

I'm finally joining the year 2016 and have a gold Iphone 6s on it's way to me! I cannot wait to be able to take decent photos with this Iphone. Now I'm working on slowly saving all the 5000 photos off my current phone so that I can transfer everything over with the cloud seamlessly. I swear every year I get less and less tech savvy. I'm starting to feel like my mom.

We played tourist in Annapolis last weekend. Snowflake alley was Miller's favorite thing and we could have walk through there 100 times and I still don't think he would have had enough time. "Ohhh mom snowflakes, ohh so pretty." Over and over again.

I'm not going to lie. I have already fallen off my diet bandwagon this week. Kyle's been out of town (which is no excuse) but I just wasn't prepared enough with the right veggies and proteins so I'm going to re-start this weekend. I have been doing a good job staying away from sugar though so I guess that's something.

I mean in reality I think this is how we all feel about diets...

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